CA1054206A - Drawer locking mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
A locking mechanism for drawers in an article of furniture includes a unitary lock transfer rod fully disposed within the furniture top and provided with a plurality of axially spaced crank portions. Only those crank portions associated with drawer columns are attached to individual vertical lock bars each having one or more resilient lock dogs thereon whereby, subsequent arcuate displacement of any one of the crank portions is translated as a concurrent displacement of all crank portions and the attached lock bars to move the lock dogs into and out of engagement with striker means carried by the drawers.

Description

1054Z~6 1 Thi~ invention relate~ generally to office appliances, and more particularly, to an improved drawer locking mechanism for dosks and similar articles of office furniture.
Locking arrangements are generally well known wherein a S lock devico, operable exteriorly of an article of furniture, regulates an in~eriorly mounted locking mecbanism acting upon a plurality of drawer6 contained in the furniture article. An example of an earlier structure of thi~ type will be found in the U.S. Patent No. 2,793,927 is6ued to Reitzel, May 28, 1957, and which is assigned to the same assignee a~ the instant in-vention. The structure of the referenced patent i8 specifically adapted for regulating a pair of lock bars as mounted in a two-pedestal desk and is actuated by means of a key lock mounted in a master drawer di~posed between the two pede6tals and above a knee hole. Operation of the lock manipulates the medial portion of a rocker shaft having its distal members engageable with two lock bars within the pedestals. The adaptability of the Reitzel construction is somewhat limited as it requires the provision of a center drawer, or at least a center dummy panel for the key lock mechani~m and the di~closed rocker shaft is operable only in a situation involving a two-pedestal article of furniture.
By the present invention an improved arrangement is pro-vided wherein the entire lock bar actuating mechanism is carried by the office furniture top and a 6ing1e 6uch mechanism may be used to provide a drawer lock bar actuating a~embly for articles of furniture having variou6 dimensions and containing variou6 numberfi of drawer pedestals. The above is achieved by the provi~ion of a single lock transfer rod containing a plural-ity of crank portion6 axially spaced apart from one another a distance corresponding to the standard spacing between drawer -1- ~, 1~42Q~

1 pedestals and which may be readily and economically mounted with-in the top of an axticle of office furniture and to which a vaxied number of drawer lock bars may be attached depending upon the particular configuration of the article of furniture and without any modification of the transfer rod. A plunger type lock assembly carried by an edge of the furniture top cooperates with one of the crank portions to provide a pre-determined arcuate displacement of the lock tran6fer rod and all of the other crank portions 80 that the selective nu~ber of lock bars connected to any of the crank portions are operated to lock or unlock the assQciated drawer~.
The present invention further offers an improved drawer locking mechaii~m as regulated by operation of the drawer lock bars. In the referenced earlier patent, each drawer is locked by means of a displaceable lock dog carried by the side o~ the drawer and which i8 adapted to cooperate with a vertically dis-placeable striker mounted upon the lock bar. Such an arran~e-ment presents an unsightly appcarance when the drawers are with-drawn and likewise pre~ents a hazard by snagging of clothing upon the exposed lock dog which is also su~jected to accumulation of dirt. The present invention, on the other hand, include~ a unique arrangement of the mounting of the lock dogs upon the lock b~r it~elf, and which cooperate respectivoly with a simple striker member carried by each drawer side.
Accordingly, one of the primary objects of the present in-vention i8 to provide an improved drawer locking mechanism com-prising a lock transfer rod having a plurality of crank portions, suitable in number to serve a maximum number of lock bar6 usually accommodated in a particular size and style of office furniture and wherein only those crank portions overlying drawer pedestals

-2-~oS4Z~6 1 in any specific installation are utilized.
A further object of the present invention i~ to provide an improved drawer locking mechanism including a lock transfer rod having a plurality of crank portion~, one of which is en-gaged by a key lock assembly while any number of the remainingcrank portions may be selectively utilized to regulate the operation of a corresponding number of lock bar~ associated with drawer~.
Still another object of the prosent invention is to pro-vide an improved drawer locking mechani6m including a lock trans-fer rod having a plurality of crank portions, at least one of which i8 arcuatoly displaceable by mean~ of a plunger lock and wherein both the pl~nger lock and lock tran~fer rod are carried by the top of the furniture article.
Another object of the present invention i~ to provide an improved drawer loc~ing mechanism including a pivotal lock tran~fer rod having a)plurality of crank portion6, at least one of which is engageable with a vertically displaceable lock bar, the latter carrying one or more resilient lock dogs nor-mally serving to blocX the withdrawal of an adjacent drawer.
With the~e and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of tho invention i8 better under-stood, the invention consists in the novel construction, combin-ation and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully de6cribed, illu~trated and claimed.
A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention i~
shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 i~ a per~pective view of an article of furniture provided with the drawer locking mechanism of the pre~ent invention;

-3-~054206 1 FIG. 2 i~ an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one end of the lock transfer rod of the prefient invention and illustrate~ its engagement by a lock bar;
FI6. 3 is a top plan view of a lock tran~fer rod according to the present invention:
FIG. 4 i8 a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1, and illustrates a lock bar pro-vid d with two lock dogs thereon FIG. S i8 a vertical sectional view, taken along ths line 5-5 of FIG. 4:
FIG. 6 i~ a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 6-6 of F IG . 4:
FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view showing a portion of a lock tran~fer rod and the lock a6sembly for actuating same as mounted within the top of an article of furniture;
FIG. 8 i8 a vertical sectional view through a desk top and illustrate6 th lock assembly as it appear~ when in the unlocked condition;
FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 and illustrates the lock a~fiembly as it appears when in the locked position;
FIG. 10 i8 a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a lock bar and it~ a~sociatea structure as it appear~ when in the .
locked position;
FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 and illustrates the lock bar and its a~sociated structure as it appears when in the unlocked po~ition.
S~m~r reference character6 de6ignate corresponding part~
throughout the several figure~ of the drawings.
Referring now to the drawing6, parti~ularly FIG. 1, the pre6ent invention will be se~n to relate to a drawer locking

-4-1 mechani~m, genOE ally designated 1, and which i8 adapted to be mounted within the top 2 of any appropriate article of furni~ure 3. Although a console i8 illustrated in thi~ view, it will be appreciated that the drawer locXing mechanism 1 may be readily utiliz~d within the top 2 associated with any one of several other type~ of office furniture such as a single pedestal desk, a doubl~ pedestal defik or a console having less than the illus-trated number of columns of drawers 4. In fact, the principal advantage of the present drawer locking mechanism i~ its adapta-bility for use in any of the various above described article~of furniture without any modification of the principal ~omponent~
thereof.
The primary element of the drawer locking mechani~m 1 may be considered to be the lock transfer rod, generally de6ignated lS 5, an example of which is ~hown in its entirety in FI~S. 1 and 3 of the drawings. Thi8 lock transfer rod 5 contains a plurality of axial portions 6, each of which i~ bounded at both ond~ by a crank portion 7, the latter including an eccentric arm 8 each connected at its di~tal portion by meanQ of a radial arm 9 joined in turn to the end of an adjacent axial portion 6.` The endmost radial arms9a are joined to an inturned axial arm 10, which arms 10 are axially aligned with the axial portions 6 pre-viou~ly de~cribed. The length of the axial portion~ 6 are pre-ferably equal as iB the length of the plurality of eccentric ar~ 8 for reasons which will become apparent immediately here-inafter .
By selecting the length of the axial portion~ 6 80 a~ to po~ition the center of each adjacent pairs of cranX portion~ 7 at a distance from one another which is equal to the ~tandard dîstance between two adjacent drawer pedestals or columns, it los4'~6 1 will be app~eciated that when the lock t~ansfer rod 5 i8 ~ub~e-quently installed within the top 2 of an article of furniture with any one of the crank portions 7 properly positioned above the lateral edga of a pedestal, then all of the remaining crank portions 7 will be automatically properly po~itioned above the ~imilar points of any othor drawer pedestals which may be associ-ated with the particular furniture top 2 of the installation.
This doe~ not mean that each of the crank portions 7 of any particular single lock transfer rod will be associated with a drawer pedestal and utilized to actuate a drawer lock bar but rather means that the thus-equipped furniture top 2 may ~ubse-quently be combined with any one of various 6ub-~tructure con-figurations from a single drawer pedestal on up to a plurality of drawer pedestals, according to the capacity of the lock tran6fer rod 5.
The installation of the lock transfer rod and an appropri-ate lock assembly 11 within the confine~ of a furniture top 2 iE achieved in a relatively simple manner. An appropriate rece~s 12 i~ provided within the confines of ~he top 2 below its upper-most surface and immediately behind the top edge 13 along theU8er ' 8 side of the furniture article. The crank portions 7 are positioned a~ ~hown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, in a direction : away from the top edge 13, and the lock transfer rod 5 i8 attached to the furniture top 2 by means of a plurality of bearing clips 14 engaging selected portions of the axial portions 6 and the inturned axial arms 10, ~uch that any subsequent ar-cuate di~placement of the crank portions 7 will be about the central axi~ as provided by the axial portions 6 and axial arms 10. An appropriate locX a~sembly 11 is mounted through the edge 13 of the top 2 at a point opposite a selected one of the crank 1054Z~6 1 portions 7 and includes a lock casing 15 fixedly disposed relative the top 2 and housing a reciprocating plunger mechani~m 16 of suitable con~truction. Such lock~ are well known and include a key acces~ in the exposed face of the plunger 16 such that when the lock i8 in the 6ecured position with the plunger fully depressed, application of the key releases the plunger which then return~ to the outwardly extended position.
The alternate po~i~ions of the lock assembly 11 are most clearly illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings wherein it will be seen that the plunger 16 includes an exten~ion 17 provided with a cam 18 on its innermost portion, which cam pre~ents a rearwardly directed inclined face 19 on its under-surface. The cam face 19 at all times overlies a portion of one of the eccentric arm~ 8 of the lock transfer rod 5. When in the relea~ed condition the lock cam face 19 engages the transfer rod eccentric arms 8 along it~ upper portion as ~hown in FIG. 8, but when depres~ed as in FIG. 9, the rectilinear dis-placement of the cam 18 i6 translated as a vertical and down-wardly arcuate di~placement of the eccentric arm 8 as this arm is engaqed by the lower portion of the cam face 19. an important point to realize during the alternate displacement of the eccentric arm 8 i8 that all of the remaining crank portions 7 of the lock tran~fer rod 5 are similarly displacea in a concurrent manner to move the other respective eccentric arms 8 from the elevated or un$ocked position to the lowered or locked position.
The application of a suitable k~y (not shown~ to the plunger 16 will be understood to automatically cau~e the rectilinear dis-placement of the cam 18 from the po~ition of FIG. 9 to that as shown in FIG. 8 of the drawinge, yet positiYe mean~ in the form of an extension spring 20 i~ provided as shown in FI~. 7 to 10542~6 1 po6itively and progressively elevate the eccentric arm 8 from the lowered po~ition to the elevated po~ition as the lock cam 18 is retracted.
Associated with each pedestal or drawer column 21 of the article of furniture i8 a lock bar, generally designated 22, and which i~ mounted for vertical displacement adjacent either a side wall or intermediate partition 23 of the article of furniture. A preferred mounting for thelock bars 22 i8 8hOWn most clearly in FIGS. 6, 10 and 11, wherein it will be seen that a lock bar mounting plate 24 is ~uitably attached adjacent its re~pective partition 23 to provide a cavity 25 therebetween with the mounting plate 24 including a vertical channel 26 constructed to receive the lock bar 22 in a close ~liding manner.
h plurality of cut-ou~ 27 are provided throughout the vertical extent of each lock bar 22 and are spaced apart from one another a distance corresponding to the standard spacing between vertically stacked drawers as provided in any one coasole such that selected cut-outs are utilized according to the number of drawers and the drawer heights intended to be serviced by any one lock bar 22. Associated with each selected cut-out 27 is a lock dog, generally designated 28, and comprising a unitary resilient member having a tab 29 ~ecured to the lock bar 22 by mean~ of a fa~tener 30 ~uch that the tang 31 depending from the edge of the tab 29 i8 disposed within the lock bar cut-out 27.
This arrangement will thus serve to preclude pivotal di~place-ment of the lock dog 28 about its fastener 30. Projecting from the oppo~ite edge of the tab 29 i~ a ramp 32 which will be seen to extend a sub~tantial distance into the drawer opening 33 juxtapo~ed the mounting plate 24. The outer end of the ramp 32 is joined to a face member 34 disposed substantially 1 normal to the direction of rectilinear displacement of the dr~wer side wall 35. As will be seen most clearly in FIG. 10 of the drawing~, the inner end of the face member 34 i9 dispo~ed through an aperture 36 formed in the mounting plate 24 and S terminates in a foot, generally designated 37, and fully dispo~ed within the confines of the cavity 25 at all time~. The foot 37 includes a heel 38 extendin~ to one side of the face member 34 and a toe 39 di~posed on the oppo~ite side of the face mb~ber 34.
The normal at-rest po~ition of the drawer locking mechanism i~ as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10 of the drawings wherein the lock bar 22 which i8 attached to an adjacent eccentric arm 8 of the lock tran~fer rod 5 by mean~ of the notch 40 at the upper end of the lock bar will be undorstood to be in it6 lowered po~ition, that is, with the lock dog 28 disposed in a horizontal plane corresponding to that of an appropriate ~triker 41 fixedly carried by the exterior of the adjacent drawer ~ide wall 35 and projecting laterally into the drawer opening 33 a sufficient distance to abut the face member 34 of the lock dog 28 when located as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10 of the drawings. Upon un-locking of the lwk asse~bly 11 and the subsequent retraction of the lock cam 18 and concurrent elevation of all of the crank portion eccentric arms 8 as assisted by the extension spring 20, it will follcw that all lock bars 22 engaging any of the crank portions 7 will be concurrently elevated from the position of FIG. 10 to that as shown in FIG. 11 of the drawing~, whereupon the respective lock dog~ 28 will be likewise elevated to a horizontal plane ~ufficient to clear the bottom-most portion of the lock dog~ 28 above the uppermo~t portion of the adjacent~
drawer ~triker~ 41 ~o that selected drawer fronts 4' may be lOS4'~06 1 pulled outwardly without interference ~rom the locking mechanism.
Quite obviou~ly, with tho lock assembly 11 in the unlocked or relea~ed po~ition of FIs. 8, any extended drawer~ 4 may be ~electively clo~ed or returned fully within their re~pective drawer opening 33 without any engagement betwesn the paired strik~rs 41 and lock dog~ 28. on the other hand, return of any opened drawer 4 to the closed position is not hampered ~hould an operator depress the lock plunger 16 to the locked position of FIG. 9. Under~tanding that when the lock cam 18 has de-pres~ed it~ adjacent eccentric arm 8, that all of the othereccentric arm~ 8 have likewi~e been displaced downwardly with a corre~ponding dawnward movement of the lock bar~ 22 80 that the lock dogs 28 are moved into a horizontal plane ~imilar to that of the drawer striker~ 410 it will be observed that upon the sub~equent clo~ing of any opened drawers the rear face of the ~triker 41 will initially engage the forward face of the lock dog ramp 32 and continued closing of the drawer will merely de-flect laterally and outwardly the lock dog ra~p and face member .
until the nose of the 6triker 41 clears the juncture of the lock dog ramp 32 and face member 34, at which time the lock dog will spring back to its normal at-rest position and the components will appear as in FIG. 6 of the drawings.
By providing a length to each eccentric arm 8 ~ufficient to straddle an intermediate partition 23 and to extend into the two adjacent drawer openings 33 it will be obvious that not only one but two locX bars 22 could engage and be actuated by a single one of the eccentric arms 8. Likewise, the crank portion 7 ~elected to cooperate with the lock assembly 11 may also serve to regulate one or two lock bars such as is shown in the embod~ment of FIG. 1. Of cour~e, in the case of a knee-hole 105~Z~6 1 desk where~n the lock a~sembly 11 is .positioned in the desk top edge 13 over the knee-hole, then the crank portion 7 cooper-ating with the lock assembly 11 would not have any drawer lock bar- 22 associated therewith~

Claims (8)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A drawer locking mechanism comprising, in combination with an article of furniture having a top and one or more columns of drawers therebeneath, a lock transfer rod disposed within said top, said rod including a plurality of spaced apart congruent crank portions, all disposed in a common plane, said rod having longitud-inally aligned axial means connected adjacent each side of each said crank portion, said axial means comprising an axial portion intermediate each pair of adjacent crank portions and an axial arm connected to the distal portion of each end-most crank portion, each said crank portion including an eccentric arm parallel to said axial means and a pair of radial arms joined to adjacent elements of said axial means, means mounting said rod within said top for simultaneous and equal arcuate displacement of all said crank portions about said axial means, each said drawer column provided with a separate vertical lock bar engageable with a selected one of said rod crank portions, cooperating catch means on each said lock bar and drawers engageable when said lock bar is at a first elevation and disposed in different horizontal planes when said lock bar is in a second elevation, a lock assembly in said top including a reciprocating cam engageable with any selected one of said crank portions of said rod whereby, operation of said lock assembly reciprocates said cam to concurrently arcuately displace all said congruent crank portions and vertically displace each said lock bar.

2. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 1 wherein, said rod mounting means includes bearing clips engaging said axial portions.

3. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 1 including, spring means normally displacing one said crank portion into constant engagement with said lock assembly cam with con-current displacement of all remaining said crank portions.

4. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 1 wherein, said catch means includes a laterally deflectable lock dog mounted on said lock bar adjacent each said drawer and a rigid striker adjacently mounted on each said drawer.

5. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 3 wherein, said spring means engages the same said crank portion as said lock assembly cam.

6. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 4 wherein, said lock dog includes a rearwardly directed resilient ramp extending toward said adjacent drawer, and a planar face member at the free end of said ramp horizontally extending normal to the direction of travel of said drawer.

7. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 6 wherein, said lock dog includes a tab engaging said lock bar, fastening means attaching said tab to said lock bar, said lock bar provided with a cut-out, a tang on said tab disposed within said cut-out to preclude pivotal displacement of said lock dog about said fastening means.

8. A drawer locking mechanism according to claim 6 including, a mounting plate adjacent said drawer and provided with a vertical channel, said lock bar slidably disposed in said channel, said mounting plate provided with an aperture with said face member disposed therethrough, and a foot on the free end of said face member engaging the rear of said mounting plate.